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It’s a nice idea, but LEJOG just isn’t that big of a market, and there are alternatives. You’d need far more cyclists than you could ever hope to attract to cover the costs. Introducing cycle fares would be hugely unpopular and a terrible idea all round.

The economics of the Far North line are challenging no matter how you put it. Adding an additional carriage for LEJOG cyclists just seems a bit silly - it’d benefit a tiny number of cyclists who have plenty of good alternative options, with a massive fuel penalty. That money might be better...

That is news to me. Though I know that area of Fife is riddled with tunnels so perhaps not surprising.

13 miles at an average speed of 40mph is 20 minutes. The alignment is pretty straight so as far as I can tell there’s no reason why that speed (or higher) wouldn’t be achievable.

I was thinking it was clear enough that if Alloa to Dunfermline was to be reinstated, the direct line is probably a better bet than the winding and slow coastal route, and probably more likely to be used. This is probably reliant on demolishing and redeveloping the Carnegie retail park, and...

I probably shouldn't advocate for this as it's an excellent cycle path and I'd be sad to lose it, but the track bed of the line from Alloa to the edge of Dunfermline along the old alignment is pretty clear. There's a real awkward few hundred meters where the railway alignment is used by the...

To be clear, I would make a reservation if I planned or thought I might use it. I’m just curious about how strict they are, as I know of people missing their train on that line.

Thanks for confirming. I do wonder if they’d leave someone wbehind at somewhere like Rannoch or Corrour if they didn’t have a reservation? Not a good place to be stuck.

I don’t keep notes but it happens, more than you’d think. The emptiness of the first class section is also really apparent. It’s 1 of 4 carriages on most services but there’s rarely more than 10 passengers, off duty staff included.

Thanks - is a booking necessary?

Hi I'm planning a hiking trip ending probably at Rannoch Station. As I'll probably miss the last Scotrail train, I'd like to take the Caledonian Sleeper south to Dalmuir (for Glasgow). Is there any requirement to book? As I don't know my date of travel, or if I'll be on this train or an...

They'd have been better served by deleting the buffet and having a composite first/standard coach. The buffet service was never really needed, and the first class section is far larger than it need be.

It's ridiculous. A 1+ hour increase in the Glasgow to Brodick journey time and a longer crossing that essentially negates the benefit of a two-boat service. What should be a journey within day trip distance of Glasgow is irritatingly risky and out of reach. For locals apparently it also means...

Yes, for the avoidance of doubt I have no intentions of driving there nor encouraging it.

The narrative appears to be that Fergusons are now a shipyard capable of the job, and that it’d be wasteful to squander that potential. And, that the new boat would be simpler than the large and complex Arran ferries. Whether that’s true is not for me to say.

I’d take that as an indication that the decarbonisation plans are unrealistic. To support some rural lines which are already heavily subsidised, while maintaining their decarbonisation plan, an already stretched incredibly thin Scottish Government would have to spend a massively...

I’ve never driven it but I have walked sections of the route. The road on the south(?) side of Loch Ossian is much better than that on the north. I’ve seen some regular cars in the carpark at Corrour Station so I assume it must be passable with care at least in summer conditions.

I’m sure I’ve read an account of a rail replacement taxi journey from Glasgow to Corrour, in the winter. Corrour station is accessible by car via some private estate tracks, though they’re only for authorised users and most points of access from the public road are blocked by locked gates. I...

Just an idle thought, but is there any future for the MV Hamnavoe in the Calmac network? It's a CMAL asset, so it could presumably be reallocated to Calmac if there were a need, or if it were replaced by Northlink. It's also in better condition than most CMAL large ships and is on a route with...

I don’t think the motivation is very different. It’s just economics. Beeching saw profit and loss as the most important factor, and underestimated social value and benefits to local businesses that you can’t easily put a cash value on. We’re better at understanding social value now, but a...